17 November 2004	Wednesday	04 Shawwal 1425

HYDERABAD, Nov 16: The Sindh agriculture secretary has warned importers and dealers of fertilizers that black marketing and hoarding of the DAP fertilizer will be dealt with an iron hand.

The secretary, Sabhago Khan Jatoi, was speaking at an meeting held here on Saturday and attended by the field officers of agriculture department and representatives of farmers of lower Sindh and Engro Chemicals and Fauji Fertilizer Company.

The meeting was informed that the Urea was being sold at below the official rate of Rs450 per 50kg but the DAP was being sold at prices ranging between 1,050 and 1,100 rupees.

Moreover, at many places the DAP fertilizer was not available and there was an artificial shortage of it, participants of the meeting were told.

The growers complained that wheat sowing in lower Sindh was being affected due to shortage of the DAP while representatives of the fertilizer companies said that some fertilizer importers of Karachi were not releasing stocks of imported DAP which had caused the shortage and price hike.